Psalm 100 {Prayer} The front door … every family has one. On holidays like the one we celebrated yesterday … the front door seems to swing open all day long. Cars pull into the driveway. Children and grandchildren are running in and out, back and forth between mom and dad and other…
Acts 8:26-39 {Prayer} With songs like “Everyday is a Winding Road” and “Life is a Highway”, it’s easy to think of life as a journey. And with songs and hymns like “When We All Get to Heaven”, “I’ll Fly Away” and “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” … it’s no surprise that people think the…
Genesis 1:1-2:3 {Prayer} Whether you’re a trained musician or someone who just enjoys listening to music … you can feel when a song is unfinished. The melody of a song moves you along. With this movement comes tension. That tension longs for some sort of resolution. And when the final note finally…
Acts 1:1-11 {Prayer} In a year and a half from now, in 2028, Salem Lutheran will be celebrating its 100th anniversary. While planning hasn’t started yet, I’m envisioning a year-long series of mini celebrations with one big celebration at the end. One of the things that will happen then will be taking…
Acts 6:1-9; 7:2a, 51-60 {Prayer} Tis the season of celebration meals. Graduation parties. Confirmation celebrations. Family and friends gathered around long tables. Kids running around. Someone asking where the buns are. Someone realizing there aren’t enough plates. Someone busy in the kitchen. Enviably … someone already eating dessert. If you’ve ever hosted one…
Acts 2:14a, 36-41 {Prayer} When people go to ball games or especially concerts … where do they really want to sit? In the front row, right? While sometimes we’ll say it is more enjoyable or you see more if you are sitting back a ways or up high … for some, they want…
Job 19:23-27 {Prayer} Show of hands … who likes to go to haunted houses? For those of you who don’t like them … why? What’s a few reasons? Let me just say … my wife is not a fan. And by the way Heath jumps when I really scare him, I’m going…
John 21 {Prayer} Once I start a project, it needs to be completed. I don’t like leaving things half done. Now granted, even though I may go through all the planning steps and think I have considered every option, something unexpected happens and throws my timetable off. But it’s just a slight delay.…
John 21:1-19 {Prayer} One of my favorite movies is Gone in 60 Seconds. It’s about a brother who gave up stealing cars to protect his family to stealing cars in order to save his brother’s life. My favorite car in the movie, my dream car, is a 1967 Shelby GT 500 Ford…
Luke 22:31–34, 54–62 {Prayer} “The Look”. We all know that look. It’s the look that says you crossed the line. Children know that when mom or dad give “the look” that something bad is about to go down if they don’t change their ways. It doesn’t have to be loud. It doesn’t have to be…